At Home With | Stacy Madden of Husk House

"There's poetry to be made from what nature discards" is a quote that the Queensland creative Stacy Madden holds dearly. The artisan and photographer harnesses nature’s beauty through her brand, Woven Husk, crafting highly textural wall hangings with foraged elements such as palm fronds, seedpods, and cuttlefish (as well as raffia, paint, plaster, and more). The intricate artworks adorn beautiful locations around the globe, including a sleek, modern home in Mexico and a high end resort in Hawaii. Each piece is unique, intuitively designed, and a joyful ode to earth’s bounty.

“Like The Dharma Door’s woven products—which are also so beautifully handmade—the organic nature of the materials and textures I use soften the hard lines in architecture,” says Stacy. “The juxtaposition of the refined and the rustic playing against each other just works.”

This captivating interplay is on show in Stacy’s Sunshine Beach home in Noosa, where she lives with her husband Stu, who works in property, and their two kids Ziggy, 11, and Harper, 8. The family moved into their four-bedroom new build, named Husk House, two years ago after 14 months of construction. Its split level accommodates the gentle slope of the narrow block, with the pool located at the front of the north-facing dwelling. Skylights and generous windows illuminate the fresh, airy interiors, an aspect that makes Husk House a popular photoshoot location for hire. It also provides the perfect environment for Stacy to craft and photograph her Woven Husk creations.

While the home is undeniably beautiful, it is not at all precious—it was, after all, designed with family living in mind. “We've got the burnished concrete floors downstairs, and I think it’s probably the most forgiving flooring you could possibly have,” says Stacy. “But I also love that streamlined look it gives.”

A self-confessed minimalist at heart, with a fondness for mid-century design, Stacy prefers spaces that are mess-free and calm. ”Clutter gives me conniptions,” she says. “My daughter is a prolific little crafter, and because we do photo shoots at home, I need to be able to shove things in cupboards and tidy up quickly.”

The main living room features a wall of joinery hidden behind panelling, and in the kitchen, the upper cabinets stretch the three-metre ceiling height. The three-metre-long kitchen island is topped with hardwearing stone and filled out with drawers and cabinets. It also provides plenty of space for the Maddens to gather and prepare meals - another tick in the column of the home’s family friendliness.

“The kitchen is central to everything, looking out onto the alfresco area and the pool, so it just flows,” says Stacy. “If I'm in the kitchen and the kids are in the pool or lounge room, I can see and hear everything going on. In terms of functionality, it's a really good layout, and I wouldn't change anything.”

The process of designing the home was relatively quick, which Stacy attributes to the fact that she and Stu knew what they wanted, and their architect Matt Caldicott was a joy to work with. However, there were some major pivots made during the planning phase. “Our original design had a roof terrace, but when we got the costings back, it was going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in concrete footing support because of our sandy, sloping block,” Stacy explains. “So we paired that right back and got rid of the roof terrace and created a beautiful big rear terrace instead, and it's amazing.”

Husk House's nature-infused feeling is best experienced in this inviting outdoor space overlooking a lush valley of gum trees and the aqua ocean in the distance. The sunset views are magical here and hosting family and friends is an easy-breezy affair, reflecting the laidback, relaxed atmosphere of the region. Stacy has lived on the coast for close to thirty years, but this is the family's first home in this particular holiday hamlet. It may not be the last!

“I really enjoy the design and build process,” Stacy shares. “Stu and I balance each other out because he's very good with planning and record keeping, and I bring the creative side of it. We make a pretty good team, and we didn't get divorced during this build, so that’s telling!” It’s no surprise she is already dreaming up design schemes for their yet to be confirmed next project. “I'd probably go even more textured and earthy with the finishes,” the busy artisan says. “I'm already looking at tiles and drooling over what I could do next!”